what are some nursing knowledge resources for new RN?

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as a new RN, I understand that a TON of learning comes from working on the floor, and I can definitely attest to that, but I would also like to expand some clinical/medical knowledge so I can keep reading about them on my own time and improve as I go, be that medications, nursing assessment, procedures, important EBP researches, etc.

I work on telemetry/medsurg unit, so most of them are cardiac, but also a lot of respiratory issues, hypertension, COPD, SOB, pneumonia, pancreatitis, post surgical, etc; a wide range of patients, but I would appreciate if the info could pertain mainly to what you would see on cardiac/telemetry/medsurg floor.

For example, when I was doing ER clinical during nursing school, a nurse was doing assessment on a patient and he tapped his fingers on patient's ribs to assess for atelectasis I believe; I know we don't make medical diagnosis, but those are just cool knowledgeable things as nurse to know, so please let me in on this. Thank you my nurses!

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131 views and not a one answer... looks like I gave yal too tough question

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

Congrats on passing your boards last week!!!!!! So you are a NEW NEW RN!!!! How excited you must be!!!!

Since we all live and learn......it is difficult to put in a nutshell what exactly you need. We all have tips and tricks that we have learned over the years. I know organization is key......so I will share some on my brain sheets I've collected....

you need a good brain sheet.......here are a few.

doc.gif mtpmedsurg.doc

doc.gif 1 patient float.doc‎

doc.gif 5 pt. shift.doc‎

doc.gif finalgraduateshiftreport.doc‎

doc.gif horshiftsheet.doc‎

doc.gif report sheet.doc‎

doc.gif day sheet 2 doc.doc

while Assessment should have been covered in your nursing program.....the tapping of the finger is called percussion. Here are a couple of resources that you might find useful.

Percussion of Lungs

A Practical Guide to Clinical Medicine

After about a year on the floor........I would look to start broadening my horizons. I would Subscribe to professional nursing magazines, go to conferences, take an advanced assessment course, look into certification like PCCN. http://www.aacn.org/wd/certifications/content/initial-pccn-certification.pcms?menu=certification

There are many resources available a good one is the AHRQ.........The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is the lead Federal agency charged with improving the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care for all Americans. (Research Summaries for Consumers, Clinicians, and Policymakers | AHRQ Effective Health Care Program)

We have a new forum for the AHRQ that you might find interesting.......https://allnurses.com/ahrq-effective-health/

For the record.....I am A nurse, a peer....not YOUR nurse.....who is happy to share her knowledge with those who are entering the profession.....sometimes it isn't the message but the delivery that can cause some to be unresponsive. ;)

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wow esme, you are always a resourceful nurse. I thank you, and I will use your advice well!

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

I think your question may have stumped some folks because they haven't had to look for online resources because their employers provide these. My organization provides DynaMed, EBSCO Nursing Reference Center, Micromedex, etc... so they are always available. So we have continuous access to quick references as well as access to an electronic library with journals and online textbooks. Hmm - it's odd that we don't think of these as employment "benefits".

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